books with diversity

‘The Deadly Book Club’ by Lyn Liao Butler: what lengths will influencers — or any of us — go to when needed

/ Pamela Kramer

In her seventh book, “The Deadly Book Club,” author Lyn Liao Butler presents a thrilling murder mystery filled with likely suspects, all of whom might have had a reason to kill the victim. Five women, prominent book influencers, meet online once a month to talk business and books, drink cocktails, and dish dirt. During one meeting, when several of them happen to be in Hawaii, the screen freezes. But the audio continues, and those in the meeting hear bloodcurdling screams as one of them is surely being murdered.

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“Apostle’s Cove” by William Kent Krueger Is by No Means a Religious Tract

/ Pamela Kramer

Author William Kent Krueger’s latest novel, the twenty-first entry in his Cork O’Connor series about that small-town sheriff and detective, is filled with fascinating, superbly drawn characters, but it’s certainly more than just a character study. It’s a complex and puzzling murder mystery featuring so many likely suspects that we readers are as stumped as O’Connor himself in trying to figure out not only who committed the murder, but where to even begin the investigation. The most confusing situation is that the murder he must solve happened twenty-five years before the present day.

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‘One of Them’ by Kitty Zeldis is a touching story of friendship and antisemitism that spans continents post-WWII

/ Pamela Kramer

In today’s polarized world, people are often talked about as “them” or “those people,” pejorative terms to say the least. In “One of Them,” author Kitty Zeldis takes that phrase, those words, and exposes the microaggressions, the ignorance, the prejudice behind them. There are two main characters whom we meet as they both attend Vassar College. While both are Jewish and from wealthy families, their approach to life is very different.

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‘My Friends’ by Fredrik Backman is about art, suffering, and love

/ Pamela Kramer

Fredrik Backman’s books are not subtle. Their emotion and their power hit us like a fist to the face. And in his latest novel, “My Friends,” there are literally multiple fists hitting multiple faces.

The story is about many things: the power of great art, the paradox of youth—the cruelty and the joys, the strength of childhood friendships, the horror of abusive parents and teachers, and the transformational nature of love. The characters he shares are all rough, troubled people; not one is polished, urbane, and sophisticated. But we love them just for who they are — down-to-earth teenagers doing the best they can who become adults who do the same.

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‘City Spies: London Calling’ by James Ponti is the sixth action-packed middle grade novel in the series

/ Pamela Kramer

Like many others, I love James Ponti’s City Spies series, and “City Spies: London Calling” is no different. There’s so much to like about the novels, including two wonderful adults and the six spy-children, the clever plots that take them around the world, the strengths and vulnerabilities of all the characters, and the unexpected twists that keep us turning the pages.

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‘A Dog in Georgia’ by Lauren Grodstein: A woman in search of a dog finds herself

/ Pamela Kramer

When there’s a dog in the title, I’m hooked. And in “A Dog in Georgia,” author Lauren Grodstein has provided not only the titular dog, one Angel—who acted as a school crossing guard for children, for heaven’s sake, before she disappeared—but a plethora of street dogs who live, apparently mostly happily, in Georgia (the country, not the state). And when Amy Webb finds herself in need of something meaningful to accomplish, she decides to travel to Georgia and find the missing Angel.

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‘The Fourth Daughter’ by Lyn Liao Butler is a shocking and powerful story of love and family

/ Pamela Kramer

Lyn Liao Butler’s parents are from Taiwan, and often Taiwanese culture and food are featured in her novels, but in her newest novel, “The Fourth Daughter,” we are immersed in Taiwan, both in its crowded, colorful present and in its violent and politically fraught past. We meet two strong women, Liv Kuo, a chef in New York who is suffering from PTSD because of an extremely traumatic incident in the restaurant she worked at, and her grandmother, Yi-ping, who moved back to Taiwan after living in the US with Liv’s family for many years, helping to raise her grandchildren.

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‘Wayward Girls’ by Susan Wiggs is an impactful historical fiction

/ Pamela Kramer

Susan Wiggs is known for novels with relatable characters and narratives that hook the reader from the start, and her newest novel, “Wayward Girls,” is historical fiction at its best. In this gripping story, we meet young girls who were forced to leave school, their homes, and their families, to work at a Catholic laundry masquerading as a charity home for wayward girls in New York.

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‘Fog and Fury’ is the first in the “Haven” thriller series by Rachel Howzell Hall set in a scenic, secretive town

/ Pamela Kramer

Rachel Howzell Hall is an accomplished author, and her newest novel, “Fog and Fury,” is the start of her first series, aptly called “Haven Thriller.” The setting is an idyllic California coastal town which some people are aiming to turn into a posh tourist destination and which has the nickname “Mayberry by the Sea.” But things are not as harmonious and peaceful as the movers and shakers in town would have people believe.

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‘Fever Beach’ by Carl Hiaasen is a rollicking Florida adventure

/ Pamela Kramer

Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida, and his novels reflect not only his love of that Everglade-filled, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean-bound state, but also his disgust for the crooked politicians and right-wing fanatics who also inhabit the state. His newest novel, “Fever Beach,” is filled with the quirky characters Hiaasen is famous for, as well as an outrageously insane plot that is so very Hiaasen. And we love every minute.

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